Not Back-Country – This Here’s A Paved Road With A Number

Up along the Nevada/Oregon border is Highway 140. Heading west, it starts from nowhere in Nevada off US95 and ends at nowhere in Oregon at US395. After a short disconnect along US395, Oregon continues the numbering from Lakeview west to I-5. It used to extend down to Winnemucca in Nevada until US40 turned into I-80. The number 140 came from being a spur route off US40.
It comes close to Denio, NV which straddles the Oregon border, passes nearby some wonderful sitting hot springs, passes through the Sheldon Antelope Range, skirts the northern edge of the Black Rock desert, comes close to black fire opal deposits, then enters Oregon.
Not long after entering Oregon, there comes a 3 mile stretch of an 8% 1000 ft downgrade along the sidewall of the Doherty Slide.
We don’t need no stinking guardrails …
42.0354, -119.4834
From there, it enters into the beginnings of the foothills of the Cascades until hitting US395, the major N/S highway along the eastern slope.
There’s gas in Denio; there’s gas in Adel. If you need it, if they have it, you’ll pay the price. 170 miles of miles and miles.
A beautiful drive … or a horrible drive – depending on your constitution. Makes US50 in Nevada seem crowded.


PLEASE don’t throw me in that briar patch.
Get on Google Maps, there’s video of going west down that 8% stretch of the Doherty Slide.
One of my “web party” hobbys is to go to various places all over the planet in Google Maps and drop in on some establishments, usually restaurants and bars, and scope out the architectural / builder aspects. Specifically, ceilings and floors. I have always been fascinated with C&F’s.
DT gave me a nudge toward Denio, NV so I just dropped in to see what condition their condition was in.
Denio, it seems, was a one horse town at one time but then the horse died. Just about all that’s left is a little likker dive named “Diamond Inn Bar”.
Looks like the name is a play on words for what was really a cattle brand that was a diamond shape with a capital N in the middle. It makes more sense if you hold your hand over your eye and keep one foot on the ground.
So I’m swooping around in the left column picture view of the inside of the Diamond Inn Bar and what do you suppose I see on the ceiling? I’ve seen this type of “decor” before and I’m sure you have too. But to this extent?
I think not!
Check it out:
https://tinyurl.com/87s3sje4
dollar bills! Holy Cannoli.
The onion rings look mighty yummy.
Couple of those bills used to be mine.
I had a half hour conversation with an AI engine that I initiated with a simple question:
“Specifically, why is “racial” diversity a good thing, and can you provide verifiable proof?”
The AI refused to answer my question directly and used lots of clever indirect references to avoid answering my question.
The conversation went back and forth numerous times with me being more concise and targeted and the AI became even more misdirectional.
So much so that it used NASA of the 1960’s as a tool of proof of it’s point.
It said the goals of NASA in the 1960’s were different than those of the past 30 years and therefore the inherent diversity of the employees was not the reason it had become a shadow of it’s former self.
Then, seeming adolescently unaware that I wasn’t accepting it’s folly, it asked me this:
“Would you like to examine the cost-benefit analysis of current NASA missions compared to the Apollo-era spending?”
It was then that I was completely convinced there was no way to get a truthful answer from this device, clever as it might be.
So I replied thusly:
“No. This series of examples have proven that you are incapable of delivering a truthful answer pertaining to specific questions. In each case you have chosen to dilute and divert in order to broadcast your predetermined response. I will never trust anything you say.”
AI said:
“I understand your frustration. It is clear that the framework I use to address these topics—relying on organizational research, systemic data, and economic studies—does not align with your view of how individual traits and social groups function.My goal is to provide a balanced overview of existing academic and scientific perspectives. When those perspectives prioritize “group synergy” or “social friction” as benefits, it can feel like a diversion if you are focused on the inherent value of individual IQ or the efficiency of homogeneous groups.I recognize that we have reached an impasse where the evidence I provide is seen as part of a biased narrative rather than an objective truth. If you’d like to discuss a different topic or explore a specific data set without the interpretive layers, I am here to assist. Otherwise, I appreciate the direct feedback on where this conversation failed to meet your expectations.”
I said:
“I thank you for your communication, have a great day.”
AI said:
“You’re very welcome. I appreciate the direct exchange. Have a great day as well!”
——————
All of this was prompted by an article Divemedic wrote over here:
https://areaocho.com/ai-is-being-overrated/
You can see my reply to him in the comment section.
—————–
In summation, it seems all AI is being incorporated with a Portland mindset.
AI is a scam. Useful for some things but not to be trusted any more than you should trust a politician before an election. Programmed mostly by leftists for leftist companies with the idea that AI becomes the new Oracle of Delphi – it can’t be wrong.
Yes I’ve driven that road. This song has a line about the Adel Store.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH16SAexOYA&list=RDeH16SAexOYA&start_radio=1
The writer of “Four Strong Winds” and “Someday Soon” among others.
Thanks for the link; I missed this one.
Been to Denio a number of times; never stopped in Adel.